


don't put words in my mouth

by tsunderestorm



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-05 23:02:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17334053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsunderestorm/pseuds/tsunderestorm
Summary: Things change, then they change again, and Yugi wants to know why.





	don't put words in my mouth

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt request game on [twitter](https://twitter.com/tsunderestorm/status/1077585159950602241), for the prompt " _Why do you hate me?_ ".
> 
> I will happily and eagerly admit that certain headcanons for this were inspired by [The Celebrity Trilogy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/147765/chapters/211379) in terms of Yugi entering the duel circuit and burning out...ever since I read that fic, I love that idea especially in the context of rivalshipping - when everything else is falling apart, Seto can pull Yugi out of a slump the way Yugi helped Seto pull out of his, in a way.

“Why do you hate me?” Yugi asked, tears welling at the corners of his eyes as he watched Seto offer nothing but a dismissive wave of his hand in response. “Why offer me a sponsorship if you still can’t stand me?”

“Yugi, please. It’s advantageous to have KaibaCorp’s name associated with the world’s best duelist. When everyone thinks of ‘K’ for King of Games, they’ll forever think of ‘K’ for KaibaCorp. It’s simple, Yugi.” Seto answered coldly, sparing a cursory, disinterested glance to the tournament roster pulled up on his tablet. “There’s no rule that dictates I have to like you, I just have to recognize your skill.”

Cowed, Yugi sighed and wiped at his eyes with balled-up fists, shifting awkwardly in his chair as he straightened his deck. “I don’t get it. We were friends there, for a second...what happened?” 

Seto tensed. He knew exactly what had happened - he’d gotten to know Yugi beyond his stupid friendship speeches and unending optimism, gotten to know _Yugi_ instead of the Pharaoh borrowing Yugi’s mouth. After years and years he’d started to consider Yugi a friend, and then...something had changed. Suddenly Yugi was more; suddenly Seto was traveling around the world on a red-eye flight in his private jet to meet Yugi before each tournament he entered into with KaibaCorp’s sponsorship, suddenly he was up at 3 a.m. on a Sunday to catch him before his 11 a.m. Saturday duel start in Los Angeles. 

Suddenly, he was revealing things to Yugi that he never would have told another soul - things about his time with the man he’d wrestled his company from, about why he always wore turtlenecks, about why every loss felt like a knife to the heart. About why he slept so little, because for all the walls and safeguards he’d built for himself in his waking hours, nightmares could still hurt him while he was sleeping. All of that, and Yugi _stayed._ In between his duels he spent hours and hours on video chat with Seto from halfway around the world, when he was in Domino he always asked that they have one meeting where they weren’t pro duelist and sponsor and no business was allowed, and when Seto’s schedule allowed it he found himself dueling Yugi _for fun._

In short, he’d let Yugi get too close. So he did the only logical thing. He pulled back, and he pulled back hard _._

_“_ I remembered I don’t need friends,” He answered curtly, and he _felt_ more than heard the soft sound of defeat leave Yugi’s body. It filled him with a curious sense of dread that he squashed like an insect beneath his heel - it wasn’t his job to protect Yugi’s feelings when he didn’t even want to admit his own. “Well, now _that_ painful moment’s over, let's get to business. You’re dueling the champion from South Korea tomorrow, and she’s supposedly something special, but I’ve reviewed her strategy and it doesn’t seem like anything you can’t beat.”

Yugi nodded, sliding a spell card out of his deck and setting it aside in favor of a new one. Quietly, he croaked: “I understand, Seto.” 

Unfazed, Seto pressed on. “And assuming you win that one - which, of course you will - you’re up against either one of the champions from Canada or the newcomer from the States. It’s important to remember that this tournament seems to be all about card combinations specifically meant to try and undermine the machine deck you’ve been favoring, so you’d better be ready for that.”

Yugi sniffled, packing his deck tight and even against the shining tabletop, looking at the worn-soft edges of the cards beneath his fingers with their chipped black nail polish. He should have known it was too good to be true - having a crush on Seto Kaiba was a recipe for disaster in the first place, anyways. He shouldn’t have let that outburst happen, shouldn’t have expected more from him than he was willing to give even if he was pretty sure by this point he was hopelessly in love with him.

“Are you listening to me, Yugi?” Seto scoffed, tearing him from his thoughts. “Did I pull you off leave too early? Don’t make me regret this.”

Yugi slammed his deck down on the low table, the loud _thwack_ in the stillness of his hotel room rivaled only by the sound of the table leg skidding across the floor when he stood up fast. Seto’s gaze flicked upwards, blue eyes disdainfully appraising him for his outburst. Yugi had felt that cold gaze before: one that made his cheeks burn hot with embarrassment, made him bristle with frustration, made him shiver with anticipation. 

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m ready. I want to duel...I want to be with you. You told me not to lie to you. When I took that sabbatical you insisted on because I burned out, you made me promise. This is me, not lying, and...you’re gonna listen!” Yugi’s hands were balled into fists at his sides, frustrated and determined even as he struggled to keep his voice level. Being around Seto was too much, too hard when he was so close and so far, not fair when he knew Seto saw him as more than an employee even when he insisted he didn’t.

Seto raised a perfectly groomed brow, but stayed silent as he set his tablet down, a silent and rare offering of his full and undivided attention. Sitting back in the plush hotel room chair, he steepled his fingers and said “Go on.”

“I think it’s hurtful when you say things like that. I know you don’t mean it, no matter how much you say you do. You said you don’t need friends, that you hate m-“

Seto was on his feet in the space between breaths, catching Yugi’s chin in his grip with a squeak in response from the smaller man. “Don’t,” he cautioned quietly, “put words in the mouth of Seto Kaiba.”

Yugi looked him, hands coming involuntarily to Seto’s forearms, stunned and slowly nodding. Having him in such close proximity, smelling the clean spice scent of his deodorant and the leather of his iconic coat, made Yugi’s head spin before he could collect himself, opening his mouth to speak but closing it just as quickly when a grunt from Seto silenced him.

“I never said I hated you. Why in the _hell_ would I sponsor you if I hated you? Would I be here in New York at 2 in the goddamn morning to go over duel strategies I know you already know just for some pathetic excuse to have two hours in your presence if I hated you? Would I even give a shit about whether or not you’re happy on KaibaCorp’s highly coveted payroll if I hated you?”

“Seto...I’m sorry, I-“ Yugi stuttered, startled.

“Would my fucking _chest_ hurt when you’re away if I hated you?” Seto demanded, letting go of Yugi’s chin and shoving him away. He froze, and Seto grimaced. He hadn’t meant to let that slip out - it was nothing like the speech he strived for - carefully chosen words calculated to a science, sharp enough to slice if he wanted - and this type of thing was why he’d pulled back from his once-rival. Yugi Mutou made him _feel_ things. He made his chest hurt, made his heart beat faster than all the duels, faster even than the fucking Pharaoh had. He made him smile with his constant, incessant optimism in a way his 16-year old self had loathed and gave him some pathetic sort of hope that maybe life wasn’t all pain, that it wasn’t all about simple victory or defeat. 

Frustrated, he sat back in the chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn’t slept in thirty-one hours and it was...getting to him. He’d changed; whether it was from the Pharaoh's constant poking and prodding or Yugi’s unending patience and kindness, he wasn’t sure.

Movement, and then closeness brought the man to him. Yugi knelt on the floor between his spread legs, hands moving to clasp Seto’s. “Seto, I’m gonna tell you something, only if you promise not to...I don’t know, stop sponsoring me or something. I’ve...had a crush on you since before we started dueling together. I always...I don’t know, you had such a passion for the game, and I really admired that, and well...getting to be your friend and spend time with you is the best thing I’ve had since Atem moved on.”

“Yugi-“ 

Surprising enough to both of them, Yugi interrupted him. “Let me guess. ‘I don’t need anyone?’ It's okay to not want to be alone all the time, Seto. ‘I’m technically your boss.’ I don’t give a shit? I _like_ you.”

Seto smiled. “Yugi. I don’t _like_ being alone all the time. My head...nevermind. It just isn’t good when I’m alone. Number two...I’m the CEO. I can do whatever the fuck I want, and number three...fine, fuck it. What better partner for _the_ Seto Kaiba than the King of Games?”

Yugi brightened immediately, squeezing Seto’s big hands in his and grinning from ear to ear. It looked stupid, bright enough to light up the dimness of the hotel room and enough to irritate Seto’s persistent headache. He expected Yugi to start babbling sway about something or other, some proclamation of love or some gratuitous expression of gratefulness, but...he did neither of those things. He laid his head affectionately on Seto’s knee and smiled, stupid, wide eyes bright and sweet as he looked at him.

Overwhelmed, Seto looked away to his tablet still running real-time results from the programs he was had analyzing the opponents’ last duels. “Don’t think this means I won’t read you the fucking riot act if you make a stupid mistake in a duel. You’re KaibaCorp’s pro duelist first and my boyfriend second.”

Yugi pressed a quick kiss to his knee (what the fuck?) and laughed. “Yeah. I got it, Seto.”


End file.
